Toy Fair 2010 Archives - Page 3 of 5

Toy Fair 2010 – Interview with Mattel’s Scott Neitlich (Toy Guru), Part 1

Scott Neitlich, Mattel’s Associate Brand Manager for its collector-oriented lines, was kind enough to sit down with Hagop (my tag team partner from the Fwoosh) and me for a catch-up session following the Mattel Collectors Preview.

We were all a little tired from the sensory overload, so a big thanks to Scott for taking the time to sit down with us, and to Hagop for recording and transcribing the interview. What follows is the first part of our discussion.

H: In other comic lines, we always hear about how obscure characters are hard to do because the retailers don’t want them. How are you able to pull off so many obscure characters in DCUC? I’m thinking of Killer Moth, Gentleman Ghost, Forager-in an exclusive wave no less.

TG: With the refresher cases and “all stars” retailers are getting Batman or Superman or whoever, every time they open a box, even if they’re not “in” the wave. And I think it just helps when the toy is cool looking. I mean, someone may walk by a Gentleman Ghost and just think, “That’s cool, I want that!” I’ve got him displayed in my office getting captured by the Ghostbusters.

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Toy Fair 2010 – Mattel Masters of the Universe Classics Update

In the second installment of our coverage of the Mattel Collector Preview Night, I’m biting off the second big chunk with Masters of the Universe Classics.

If there’s any question about the strength of Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics line, I think tonight’s reveals should unequivocally address it. With MOTUC product hitting mass market retail and some new items on a pretty grand scale, the line has never been stronger. Let’s jump right in!

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Toy Fair 2010 – Mattel DC Universe Classics Update

Another big day at Toy Fair – Mattel held its Collector Preview Night and showed of the latest across its collector-oriented brands. I’m going to bite off a big chunk of that now with DC Universe Classics.

There was a lot of DC product on hand, not even counting DC Infinite Heroes, Retro Super Heroes, Justice League Unlimited, and the Brave and the Bold, which will get their own update separately. For DC Universe Classics, we saw the 2-packs that are hitting now and the ones that are going to Wal-Mart, waves 13 and 14, and the start of an upcoming Wal-Mart Green Lantern 5-pack. Even though a lot of this has been trickling out via Mattel’s Facebook page or Toyfare magazine, there’s really no comparison to seeing these items up close. Hopefully I’ve been able to capture some of that for you here.

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Toy Fair 2010 – Hasbro Star Wars Update

Hasbro held its Collector Briefing yesterday, and this morning I’ll cover the update from the Star Wars team. (Yesterday evening I posted updates for the Marvel properties – Iron Man 2, Marvel Universe, Spider-Man, and Super Hero Squad – and G.I. Joe.)

For Star Wars, 2010 will be a more focused year – the comic book packs and Galactic Heroes Cinema Scenes will go on hiatus in the fall – but will still be a celebration of the brand. This year is the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, and to commemorate that, Hasbro is relaunching the Vintage Collection of modern figures with vintage-styled card backs.

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Toy Fair 2010 – Hasbro G.I. Joe Update

Even though I completed my Marvel update from the Hasbro Collector Briefing, I couldn’t stop for the night – having 3 more brands hanging over my head was just too much. So here’s the update from the Hasbro G.I. Joe team.

With the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra movie in 2009, the Joe team had a great year, with over 100 figures and vehicles in support of the movie. In the fall of 2010, with Cobra established, the line will shift to the Pursuit of Cobra. This means updated packaging, including a new icon for the Joes and a slightly tweaked icon for Cobra, new designs in the 25th Anniversary style, and no more actor head sculpts.

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